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Friday, 9 October 2015

Are you “plan ready” for NDIS?

Moving away from 'Burnt Toast' Syndrome

For the past few years, the buzz word in the disability world, has been NDIS in Australia.You would think NDIS was some great white horse, coming to sweep people with disabilities and their families up and out of the challenges and scarcity or today and onto a fluffy white cloud of abundance and peace. (insert unicorn and rainbows here -->)And even though we are having all these trials, it seem a few things are being left behind or overlooked completely.

1) We DESPERATELY need a permanent card for people with permanent disabilities, this I spoke about in a previous blog (Cards on the Table)2) Its great that the power is being given back to clients and their families BUT many of them have no idea how to ask for what they want.

In the past, this group of people have been forced to accept whatever comes their way and to not make a fuss, in case they are noticed and that smattering of help gets whisked away.

They sure were not game to ask services for what they needed. You see, disability in Australia has ALWAYS been Service Focused. This means, services are given a block of money to provide services for their clients. They set their programs or services then get the clients. The said clients then get told what the service provides, and how often they will provide this wonderful service.

There is no flexibility and you are reminded over & over again that if you are not happy, there are many on a wait list who would LOVE your place...so...even though this service doesn't work for you, you learn to adjust yours & your families lives to fit into it. (eat your burnt toast and enjoy it)

After all, when you have spent hours & hours having to fill in copious amount of paper work - right down sometimes to 'What words does your child say', AND HAD TO HIGHLIGHT EVERY SINGLE DEFECT YOUR LOVED ONE HAS... You are not keen to face having to repeat this process somewhere else. So, you learn to be very quite and just fit in and don't rock any boats. I call this Burnt Toast Syndrome

Now they turn around and tell us NDIS is all about US taking control and TELLING the services what WE WANT!!!!!

AND they are providing short courses for people to learn to become PLANNERS. HOW EXCITING!!! Or is it.....Planners are the people who sit with you and work out a plan for the need of the person with a disability.

Many of the people they will be working with are the EXACT group who have been taught Burnt Toast Syndrome. These people have no idea where to start...but all of a sudden, they are being told to sit down & tell us what your loved one will need for the rest of their lives?You will recognise them....they are wandering around looking like they have been struck in the headlights of a fast on-coming car, muttering NDIS NDIS NDIS ... We need to help this group get PLAN READY.

These people need to learn to imagine better & remember what it feels like to dream again.These people need to learn how to get an advocate to do the negative speak for their loved ones & start only focusing on their positives...just like parents of non-disabled children do!!!NEVER MIND EMPOWERMENT TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES - LETS ALSO GET EMPOWERMENT FOR THE CARERS!!!!Contact me at: connect@idareu.org.au if you'd like me to do a workshop around getting carers to 'IMAGINE BETTER & BE PLAN READY'